Summer Update

Wednesday, June 15th: The first wave of company arrives.


First of the cousin space missions!



Captain Smiley preparing to board her space vessel!

Nothing, nothing, nothing more fun than a cousin your own age!

Little bit of letterboxing...

Lots of interesting places to visit...

Panning for gold...

looking...

more looking...

And

Love this face.

And love this face...

And this face...

More faces to love...

Saturday, June 18th: Two of my very, very favorite people get married! Congratulations Cimberly and Kent on a day filled with so many sweet, wonderful memories!

So this is "one" of the two favorite people. I have a few pictures to download from Chris' camera.

Sunday, June 19th: Another favorite person has his missionary farewell. It was amazing! Another nephew in the mission field...so proud of my stalwart, brave, wonderful nephews!

Wednesday, June 22nd: I leave for 3 days at girl's camp.

One of my favorite people of all time.

Me about to do something really scary and high up in the air.

Unflattering shot of me high in the air not caring how unflattering my pants look in a harness.

If you haven't tried graham crackers with Nutella and marshmallow fluff, then you haven't lived.

I love these quiet moments.

And I love these friends that I get to share these experiences with. They are priceless relationships to me!

Love these girls. They are amazing and good to the core.

Love this girl.

And these girls.

So grateful to have so many people to love and cherish!

Thursday, June 23rd: First wave of company departs.

June-July: Enough swim lessons to water log my kids for the next few months. But by golly, they can now swim. Thank you amazing Jen Moore for getting my kids out there and making them do hard things! You were amazing and I'm so impressed by what you were able to do in a few short weeks versus their long, long stint in rec classes.

Saturday, July 2: Second wave of guests arrive. Hooray for cousins!

OK...so not all of these are pictures of cousins in the exact order that they arrived. Some of these are friends, many are cousins, and all of it was fun. I'm just throwing in some summer shots wherever I can.

Monday, July 4th: Happy 4th of July! We LOVE parades, watermelon, tanks, corn on the cob, swimming, fireworks, and KFC. God bless America!

When I married Chris, I knew it was a really good thing. The fact that a brother-in-law with a real WWII tank came with the package was just a big bonus!

Watching the Freedom Festival parade...favorite annual tradition.

Only in America my friends...only in America.

Some parts of the parade were a little less engaging than others.

Love this little firecracker!

My boys got to ride with their cousins in a parade on their uncle's tank. Dreams do come true!

Pure happiness!

And I love Utah where the full-time LDS missionaries marching in the parade get a standing ovation from the crowd. I cried...just like I do every year.

HB giving a high five to the missionaries!

Oh, how I adore this sister-in-law...and I love, love her sense of style. This was her festive 4th of July "hat". I want one.

Swimming at the in-laws pool. A favorite tradition.

I looked down at the end of the pool and found my oldest son floating in a sinking raft holding a large chunk of wood. I don't know what else to say. I have no answer to that.

Uh...hmmm...so...yeah.

Tuesday, July 5: JC starts daily 2-hour practices with the youth theater for their musical production of Let Your Hair Down Rapunzel! We are now pre-selling tickets...let us know how many you want!

Thursday, July 7-Saturday July, 9: Chris and I go on trek with the youth in our stake.

Monday, July 11: Chris' company has their week long annual sales conference. Poor Chris is racing around trying to finish a million projects...we have a beautiful "meet and mingle" reception Monday night and a fabulous family BBQ (with steak) up the canyon on Friday night. This company KNOWS how to throw a good party!

Monday, July 11: Second wave of company departs.

Friday, July 15: Third wave of company arrives.

Saturday, July 16: Chris and I celebrate our 12th wedding anniversary by attending the wedding reception of our niece and watching my cousin's "melt in your mouth" darling girl. Not terribly romantic on our part but oh so fun!

Tuesday, July 19th: Third wave of company departs.

One of HB's "creepier" fashion shows. Her and her cousin gave each other make overs.

And so we have roughly a week before 4th wave of company arrives...but they will only be here for a couple of days. So, if you were desperately hoping for a stay at the Carr Bed and Breakfast, we will have openings after July 28th. You can come see my son be hilarious as a knight in a musical play, attend skateboard camp with MC, dress up and do fashion shows with HB, or come visit me in the home for the emotionally unstable. But seriously folks...could you ask for a  more interesting summer?! It has been filled with cousins and family which we LOVE! My children always sink into a deep depression when cousins leave. They adore their cousins. And I always get lonely for my charming, sweet, wonderful brother/sister-in-laws. We are blessed. (And a little crazy but that comes with the territory when you are dealing with such a fragile, small, feeble mind as mine is...)